Meeting series hones economic development in Grand County

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Grand County is considered a place where outdoor recreation, tourism, health and wellness and creative industries are bread and butter to economic success.

As a member of northwestern Colorado, Grand County sits in a region where these industry sectors have the potential to thrive, according to the Colorado Office of Economic Development.

It is this reason the Grand County Office of Economic Development is hosting three meetings to help foster these sectors.

"It's about really opening up the conversation in the community what the possibilities are and really moving the economic needle forward," said Grand County's DiAnn Butler.

Pockets of progress are taking place in individual communities right now, she said, but it's the hope of the local Office of Economic Development that we begin to recognize the "power behind working cooperatively."

First stop on this train is a Feb. 25 workshop concerning creative industries in Grand County. Anyone with a design, inventive, artistic and entrepreneurial streak should attend. That includes software creators, architects, graphic designers, writers, apparel designers, and other artists.

"The more we embrace the industry, the more we start attracting small manufacturers," Butler said. "We are an inspirational place to live, but (business owners) run into challenges, such as shipping challenges. We need to find out what we can do to help close those gaps and increase business potential."

The three-hour workshop is intended to help stakeholders better understand Grand County's broad reach in this industry. Experts in the field will be introducing how other areas of Colorado have capitalized on creative industries.

Anyone interested in cultivating and growing the Grand County economy is encouraged to attend the full series of three meetings, Butler said.

A March 6 "Future of Grand County" meeting will touch on Downtown Colorado Inc.'s plans to conduct a first-ever countywide assessment in Grand County.

And an April 18 Grand County Economic Summit is intended to pass on to citizens a strategic plan for Grand County's economic development in 2013.